Hi all,I am currently planning a ride from Canberra to Melbourne. i wanted to see some of the old towns that have been bypassed by the Hume Highway from Yass to Albury (where I'll then get off freeway and ride thru Beechworth, Mansfield, Healesville etc). Just wondering if bicycles are allowed on the Hume Highway, or even if they are, if it is recommended?

Recommended? Do you enjoy having vehicles pass you at 100 to 120 km/h? No .. then the highway is not 'nice'. I think most of it has a fairly wide paved verge .. but these are usually littered with things that make your tires go flat. Again .. not enjoyable.

The alternative are some reasonable dirt roads through to Tumut and then sealed roads through Batlow, Tummbrarumba

No advice but (as an atheist) I enjoyed reading Michael McGirr's book Bypass - The story of a road. Perhaps some useful info there? Was a good read surprisingly. I liked his understated sense of humour and relaxed storytelling.

I have been to many of the little towns bypassed by the Hume highway & have to say that their charms are not enough to make me want to ride along the Hume. The volume of trucks is such that I don't even like driving it.

If you want to go somewhere a bit out of the way, I would be heading the way Warin suggested.

isaidc wrote:Thanks for all the feedback. Another idea I had was to ride to Wallendbeen, then go down the A41 which is much quieter with some nice looking towns. Think this might be the go.

The Olympic H/Way (A41) from Wagga to Albury has way too many trucks as well, with crappy shoulders to boot, The route via Tumut-Batlow-Tumbarumba would almost be devoid of trucks, and have low volumes of traffic.

I did ride the Hume between Gundagai (I think??) and just N of Goulbourne (??) and agree about the traffic. No matter - it can be done ON A BICYCLE. The "coppers" will not throw you in the slammer nor fine you - IMO. I rode a part of it in 2011 and never saw a "copper".

Just exercise caution and follow your heart. Easier said than done- but the benefits are IMMENSE

Just north of Wallendbeen about a month ago.Have done Wagga to Sydney ( and the other way around) by bike plenty of times. I tend to go inland and away from the Hume even going up to Bathurst and over the mountains to avoid it. The Oly Highway coming from Harden and Binalong and all the towns north of Wagga is fine for bikes and offers great camping spots like Bethungra Dam. Yes Wagga south does have some trucks but if you can avoid the grain carting season just before xmas they are mostly the professional drivers and give you plenty of room. Spots like the rock at The Rock are well worth a stop and look around.The Hume freeway shoulder is full of junk and you will cop plenty of punctures with mashed up truck tyre casing wire. The sheer volume of traffic means it is really is not much fun after a few hours.

When are you thinking of touring? How long will you be allowing for the tour? Will you ride on good quality dirt tracks to enhance the route?

Have you had a good look at similar tours and routes on 'crazyguyonabike'? There are a wealth of routes to take between Canberra and Albury. I've sussed-out most of them, mostly by car. Avoiding the Monaro Hwy and Hume Hwy will extend the life of your lungs by years and possibly your life. Riding on the Travelling Stock Routes to Albury, will blow you away, if you can handle the dirt.

I'm at home with a broken leg at the moment. I live in Canberra and travel to Albury regularly to see my family ... I try not to go the same way twice, but usually return home on the stinking and boring Hume.

The region has excellent back roads and tracks. If you're in Canberra and want to get together and chat and look at photos and maps, I'm more than happy. I'm about to transfer my touring images of the SE region from f#$%^d Photobucket to Flickr. This will take me a good while, I'm slowly learning.

I second visiting The Rock aka Kengal Nature Reserve, South of Albury, if it is on your chosen route. It is amazing. You can follow/link Travelling Stock Routes to get there. I've the Directory of the NSW Travelling Stock Routes and TS Reserves. The National Library of Australia has a copy of the NSW Stock Route Directory, 'The Long Paddock'. Camping in TSReserves is free, after contacting the local NSW Land Service's Office.

Two shots from last September. Cirrocumulus clouds above Woomeragama (just North of Albury) heading for Tunnel Road. Tunnel Road has amazing views and a top lookout and is an interesting way into Albury.

A smoky Mount Bogong, Victoria's highest peak from the lookout on Huon Hill, in Wodonga. Huon Hill is a popular climb for cyclists and has amazing views.

Warren.

"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

A 360° panorama from the summit of The Rock. Showing the Small and Big Magellanic Clouds. Hopefully this image is still accessible on my Photobucket gallery.The light pollution is from Albury 90 klicks to the South ... http://s225.photobucket.com/user/WildWa ... ort=3&o=58

Warren.

"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

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